Your Face Wash Is Killing Oysters

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Like these little guys? Don't use products that contain microbeads, which can be harmful to ocean life, according to scientists.

Oysters are powerful little shellfish that do a lot for us, and we're making their lives difficult.

Small plastic particles known as microplastics, which are commonly found in cosmetics, are causing oysters to develop serious reproductive problems, scientists at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found in a disheartening new study.

It's not particularly new that microplastics are bad, but what's alarming is that they could affect future generations of ocean life.

The damage to oysters that ingest the plastic happens fast. Researchers tested Pacific oysters in tanks and found that oysters exposed to microplastics produced smaller eggs and less mobile sperm compared to a control group of oysters in a tank that did not contain microplastics.

After two months of eating the plastic, the oysters had 41 percent fewer offspring, which grew slower than normal.

It's not clear exactly what the plastic is doing to the oysters, but it might be interfering with their hormones or blocking their digestive systems, making it harder for them to eat food and get energy.

Microplastics end up in the ocean for a lot of reasons, but they are notably a problem in beauty products like face wash and toothpaste -- which usually go straight down the drain instead of being properly discarded, according to BeatTheMicrobead.org, an anti-microplastics campaign.

Scientists think that because the microplastic particles are about the same size as the phytoplankton oysters typically consume, they eat them without understanding that they're different.

Clams take the number 10 spot on the list of seafood most consumed by Americans, with 0.341 pounds per capita. According to Monterey Bay Aquarium's <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx" target="_hplink">Seafood Watch</a>, most varieties of clams are considered "best choices" in terms of sustainability.